The Perth metropolitan region in Western Australia sets the lead for car domination in Australia. The Western Australian Department of Transport has partnered a project with the City of South Perth to test a method that encourages people to use alternative modes of transport (namely walking, cycling and public transport) to the single car driver trip. A three-stage behaviour change program has been implemented by SOCIALDATA: (1) Travel survey to assess current behaviour and motivation to change; (2) Individualised marketing; (3) Evaluation survey to measure extent of behaviour change. Four hundred households were involved in the program and 36 percent of them expressed an interest in using other modes. These people were motivated and provided with localised information on the use of these alternative modes through face-to-face contact. Current users of the alternative modes were rewarded for their behaviour (9 percent of the sample). The evaluation survey showed a 10 percent reduction in car driver trips and a 14 percent reduction in motor car VKT. Conversely, public transport trips increased 21 percent, cycling 91 percent, walking 16 percent and car as a passenger 9 percent. The SOCIALDATA (Werner Brog) approach has been applied separately to public transport and cycling in numerous European cities. This project is unique in that cycling and public transport was combined for the first time and walking also included. The results of the program will be invested into the local community through local "opinion leaders" undertaking a two step process: (1) Learn from the analysis of the travel patterns and behaviour change process; (2) Develop an action plan for behaviour change and improvements to transport services and infrastructure. (A)
Abstract